Blood Red Warmth...

The mood was that of a sensual, warming sensation that runs throughout your body. Like your blood running through your veins as the tension and adrenaline grows wild. Deep dark and red. Enter Burgundy wine. This dinner was all about Burgundy wine, it's rituals and traditions. We had a group in who was all about Burgundy. A big to-do. Great to see it. We were charged with the mission of creating a menu that would showcase the wines beyond belief...to elevate them to an even higher plane than they were on their own...and to bring the soire to an over the top experience from a food and wine pairing perspective. As one guest put it...you rarely get one good pairing out of these types of dinners..."and you hit them all out of the park". Well...all I can say is that we need to keep striving for perfection and that the team and I had fun cooking. They were all amazed that I had not even tried the wines to pair the foods to, for we did not know them, nor do I consume the beast (reads: another story!). I just thought about the wine itself, the foods that come to mind and the flavors that seem fitting. Here is how it played out. Raise a glass and imagine the flavors and setting. Cheers!

seared scallops, braised frog legs, house bacon, shallots, micro chrysanthemum
mustard blooms, mustard seeds, chervil jus

72 hour short ribs, turnip puree, forest pioppini mushrooms, potato boulangere
peppered cherry-cipolline onion jam, salsify chips, pomegranate salt
cherry-armagnac sauce, cherry pudding

belgian washed rind cheese, walnut crusted cabecous feuilles, fig mostarda
beaujolais gelee, walnut brioche, fig financier, walnut powder, banyuls gastrique

cinnamon-dark chocolate bar, hazelnut dacquoise, crispy salted potato
burgundy apple parisienne, smoked wood ice cream, pop rock wafers, caramel anglaise

"persilles du jambon"
foie gras mousse, cured and smoked beechers shank ham, madeira gelee, pedro ximenez reduction

caramelized onion and duck confit gougeres, duck tongues, tarragon

escargot bourguignonne "ma facon"
sous vide cooked snails, garlic custard, basil espuma